Halo: Reach Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

As you round the next corner a Covenant AA gun will come into view. Don't worry, you won't have to toss any grenades into this one! Your Scorpion will make these AA guns a walk in the park. Just aim your sites at the gun itself -- any part of it -- and hit it with a half dozen rounds. You'll get an audio message when the gun enters its self-destruct mode (an alarm will sound as well).

Move west until the second AA gun comes into view. Don't aim for it yet. Pick off the Jackals on the hill and wait for at least two Ghosts to come over the ridge by the Jackals. Take out each one -- there may be some a lag before you see them both.

At the same time, Banshees will stream in from the right side of the screen. You can shoot them fairly easily if they move slow. Take out a few Banshees but also get some rounds into the AA gun. As soon as you destroy the second AA gun some Falcons will be able to help out with the seemingly endless stream of Banshees.

Head north and then east along the road. As you round the corner, Sword Base will come into view along with a sniper tower you can hit from a safe distance just as you spot it. As you turn east, a trio of Ghosts will come over the ridge. You should be prepared for these since they can be overwhelming at close range. Line up your shots carefully and shoot a bit in front of each one to catch it in the blast.

Video: Surviving the Valley

The canyon to the east features four turrets and multiple Revenants that will destroy your ride in seconds if you attract all their attention at once. Thankfully, using the boulder at the top of the small mound before the canyon as cover, you can peek out and destroy all the threats safely -- if you can spot them!

There are two turrets due east from this boulder -- one fires green shots and the other, beyond it, blue shots. Follow their firing lines to the source and then pummel that location with shells. If a turret returns fire, back up and wait before trying again.

Before inching out any further, make sure the Revenant that approaches you from the valley is eliminated. You won't be able to outmaneuver it, so keep your distance and pull back to safety of cover if it fires a slow mortar at you.

The next turret is to the southeast and is pretty close, so snuff it out quickly as you inch down into the valley.

Finally, a fourth turret lies to the upper left as you round Sword Base's wall. Stick closely to the wall and peek around the edge to fire at the final turret. Take shots at Banshees as you head for the waypoint. While a few Revenants remain in the area, you can safely head straight for the Sword Base main gate.

Destroy the Revenant just outside the main gate entrance and the door will open. Drive inside and exit the tank.